Tag Archives: Asia Pacific

Zoom reveals challenges + solutions for hybrid work in APAC!

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Take a look at the latest survey by Zoom, which reveals both the challenges and the solutions for hybrid work in APAC!

 

Zoom reveals challenges + solutions for hybrid work in APAC!

On 22 August 2024, Zoom released a compelling new survey called “Navigating the Future of Work: Global Perspectives on Hybrid Models and Technology,” which revealed key insights into the hybrid work models in Asia Pacific.

Conducted in partnership with ReworkedINSIGHTS, a leading authority on employee experience and digital workplace trends, the survey highlights both the rising dominance of hybrid work models and the pressing challenge of maintaining employee engagement.

Hybrid Work Models: A Growing Trend

The survey, presented at Zoom’s EX Summit 2024, reveals that a significant shift is underway in workplace models across APAC. With 84% of organizations adopting flexible work arrangements, the hybrid model is particularly prevalent, embraced by 58% of companies, while 26% opt for a fully remote approach.

Productivity remains a critical focus for APAC leaders, with 87% prioritizing it when choosing their work models—higher than the 86% in North America and 81% in Western Europe. Notably, employees in APAC report greater productivity in hybrid settings, with 83% indicating they accomplish more work in hybrid or remote environments compared to traditional in-office settings. This trend underscores the importance of effective technology solutions in maintaining workforce connectivity and efficiency, regardless of physical location.

Recommended : Zoom Docs transforms collaboration + meeting efficiency with AI

Key Takeaways In Summary

  • Hybrid Work Models: 84% of APAC organizations are adopting flexible work arrangements, with hybrid models being the most common.
  • Employee Productivity: 83% of employees in APAC report higher productivity in hybrid settings.
  • Generative AI Adoption: APAC leads in AI tool usage, but challenges such as learning curves and job impact concerns persist.
  • Future Outlook: 77% of APAC leaders expect further changes to workplace models, underscoring the need for ongoing adaptation and feedback integration.

The Search for the Ideal Hybrid Model

Despite the preference for hybrid work, companies in APAC are still experimenting with various models to find the most effective fit. The most common configurations are scheduled hybrid (27%) and flextime hybrid (19%), with 13% of organizations using other role-, location-, or outcome-based hybrid models. Impressively, 97% of APAC leaders have increased workplace flexibility over the past two years.

However, hybrid models are not without their challenges. Around 60% of APAC leaders report a decline in employee engagement associated with hybrid arrangements. Ricky Kapur, Head of Asia Pacific at Zoom, notes, “Workplace flexibility is not only becoming increasingly commonplace in the APAC region, but more diverse in itself — ranging from flextime to location, role, and even rotation-based models. Leaders today are faced with a new challenge of finding the best-fit hybrid model while keeping up with the evolving expectations of a multi-generational workforce and the impact of rapidly advancing technologies like AI.”

Recommended : Avanade study: Familiarity reduces workplace fears of AI!

Generative AI: A Game-Changer for Hybrid Work

The survey highlights generative AI as a transformative tool for enhancing employee productivity and engagement. Despite its potential, many APAC organizations still need to fully leverage AI’s capabilities. The majority of employees (81%) believe their current remote work tools require improvement—an issue more pronounced in APAC compared to North America (79%) and Western Europe (65%).

Generative AI’s impact is already being felt, with APAC leading the adoption of AI-powered tools such as meeting transcripts and chatbots (53% and 59%, respectively). These tools have been beneficial, with 85% of APAC leaders acknowledging AI’s role in boosting workforce productivity. However, challenges remain: 70% of employees view generative AI as having a high learning curve, 63% feel uneasy about it, and 55% worry about its potential negative impact on their jobs.

Addressing Engagement Through Feedback

As hybrid work models become the norm, 77% of APAC leaders anticipate changes to their workplace models within the next two years, slightly higher than the global average of 75%. To thrive in this new landscape, organizations must remain responsive to employee feedback and adapt their technology strategies accordingly. This includes investing in scalable, adaptable AI tools that align with evolving business needs and employee expectations.

In conclusion, while hybrid work models are gaining traction, the challenge of maintaining high employee engagement remains. Organizations that prioritize technology adoption and actively seek employee feedback will be better positioned to succeed in the future of work. Embracing flexibility and leveraging AI effectively will be key to creating dynamic, engaging, and productive work environments.

Recommended : Microsoft to auto encrypt all Windows 11 devices with BitLocker!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Avanade + Accenture: 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year!

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Avanade and Accenture have just been named 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year, for the 18th time!

 

Avanade + Accenture: 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year!

Avanade and Accenture have been named 2023 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year. This is the 18th time that Avanade and Accenture received the Global SI Partner of the Year recognition from Microsoft.

In total, Avanade and Accenture received close to 120 Partner of the Year awards across various technology and country categories throughout their history, for helping clients transform their employee and customer experiences by creating and delivering leading-edge solutions using Microsoft solutions.

Both companies were also recognised with 17 other awards including Malaysia Partner of the Year and Singapore Partner of the Year.

  • Dynamics 365 Sales & Marketing Partner of the Year
  • Low Code Application Development Partner of the Year
  • Automotive, Mobility and Transportation Partner of the Year
  • Customer Experience Partner of the Year
  • Malaysia Country Partner of the Year
  • Singapore Country Partner of the Year
  • Germany Country Partner of the Year
  • Greece Country Partner of the Year
  • France Country Partner of the Year
  • Portugal Country Partner of the Year
  • UK Country Partner of the Year
  • Denmark: Azure Core: Cloud Infrastructure Partner of The Year
  • Finland: GSI Growth Champion Partner of The Year
  • Asia Pacific: Azure Data & AI Partner of the Year
  • Asia Pacific: Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year
  • Singapore: Financial Services Industry Partner of The Year
  • Japan: Energy and Resources Partner of the Year

The companies were also named finalists in the following five categories: Retail & Consumer Goods Partner of the Year; Dynamics 365 Finance Partner of the Year; Dynamics 365 Services Partner of the Year; Security Compliance Partner of the Year; Business Intelligence Partner of the Year

The unique partnership between Avanade, Accenture and Microsoft truly enables us to do what matters for our clients – building more resilience in a world of continuous change, empowering employees to embrace new ways of working, strengthening customer experience and now, guiding them on their journey to an ‘AI-first’ world.

Being recognized as Microsoft’s Global SI Partner of The Year for the 18th time is a remarkable achievement that is only possible because of our people all over the world who, every day, bring unrivalled expertise, experience and insights to help our clients solve their toughest business challenges.

– Avanade CEO Pam Maynard

Recommended : Microsoft : No More Windows 10 Updates, EOL In 2025!

 

Avanade + Accenture Collaborates With Microsoft On AI

Avanade, Accenture and Microsoft recently announced an expansion of their close collaboration to help organizations adopt the disruptive power of generative AI, accelerated by the cloud, to fundamentally transform their businesses.

By tapping into the new Accenture Center for Advanced AI, with its deep focus on generative AI and large language models, and the new Avanade AI Organizational Readiness Framework, the companies can help their clients take advantage of generative AI for safe and responsible innovation at scale.

Over the past year, we’ve expanded our partnership with Microsoft by helping more clients transform their organizations through the adoption of data and AI, cloud, metaverse, sustainability and other technologies.

Together with Avanade, we take great pride in helping clients accelerate change to achieve new growth and value, and we look forward to an exciting journey forward with Microsoft.

– Chris Howarth, Senior Managing Director and Accenture Microsoft Business Group Lead

Combined, Avanade and Accenture now have more than 65,000 professionals dedicated to delivering Microsoft technologies.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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What Zoom Announced @ Zoomtopia APAC 2022!

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Here is a short summary of what Zoom Video Communications Inc. announced at the Zoomtopia APAC 2022 conference!

 

Zoomtopia APAC 2022 : What Is It?

Zoomtopia APAC 2022 was the Asia Pacific edition of Zoom Video Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM)’s annual conference.

Hosted virtually on Zoom Events (obviously), Zoomtopia APAC 2022 featured a distinguished array of guest speakers, as well as announcements on Zoom Phone and other products.

  • Education: Developing the next generation of changemakers with digital innovation
  • How to unify communication and collaboration in the new world of work
  • The Trust Imperative: How you can build (or destroy) trust in a hybrid world
  • Financial services: How secure digital collaboration tools are transforming the future of finance
  • Is Voice DEAD? The future of conversation is in the cloud
  • Reimagine the future of customer experience in a video-first world
  • Improve the Customer Experience and Agent Productivity with Conversational AI
  • What’s new with Zoom Phone?
  • Zoom Events Product Tour
  • How to Create a Buying Experience Your Customers Love with Zoom IQ for Sales
  • The Future of Asynchronous Collaboration
  • Transforming for the Future Office: Enabling the Flexible, Hybrid Workplace

Eric Yuan, CEO and Founder of Zoom, also shared his vision for Zoom at Zoomtopia APAC, distilling the next phase of Zoom’s evolution and the key innovations that will underpin the Zoom platform in this new era.

“We have always been a company built to connect and bring people together. As many people around the world start rethinking what really makes them happy, we want to empower them to zoom in on what matters.

Zoom’s vision for the future is about bringing physical and digital environments together in new ways to create more inclusive, immersive, collaborative experiences. 

We are focused on giving organisations, their employees and customers a platform that works best for them, their lives and their workflows.”

 

What Zoom Announced @ Zoomtopia APAC 2022!

For those who could not make it, here is a short summary of what Zoom Video Communications Inc. announced at the Zoomtopia APAC 2022 conference!

New Zoom Platform Innovations

Zoom has launched more than 1,500 features and enhancements on the Zoom platform this year.

The Zoom Mail and Calendar clients work together with the communication and collaboration offerings already available within Zoom Meetings, Phone, Whiteboard, and Team Chat. Now, teams can move quickly and seamlessly from email to a video meeting, elevate a chat message to a phone call, collaborate on projects and early next year, they can share out whiteboards, all without ever leaving the Zoom app.

Zoom also rolled out Zoom-hosted email and calendar service options available in  beta, directly integrated with the Zoom platform, ideal for businesses without dedicated IT services looking for enhanced privacy in their business communications.

Zoom also introduced Zoom Spots – its virtual co-working space. Coming in 2023, Zoom Spots is a video-enabled persistent space, integrated with the Zoom platform, to help foster inclusive discussions, keep colleagues connected and bring the fluid interactions of in-person work to distributed, hybrid teams throughout their day.

Fuelling APAC Innovation Together With Customers

In his keynote, Ricky Kapur, Head of APAC at Zoom, was joined by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and Australian online employment marketplace SEEK.

Highlighting innovative use-cases in which Zoom was utilised for each of these organisations, the speakers discussed the role of Zoom in driving digital inclusion, transforming employee experience as well as reshaping the future of banking, among others.

Zoom is also collaborating with workspace on-demand marketplace Switch (part of JustCo Group), to equip physical work booths or co-working spaces in Singapore with video-conferencing capabilities. This will take the work-from-anywhere model to the next level, as individuals will be able to comfortably attend virtual meetings at a location of their choice.

Continued Growth Of Zoom’s Partner Ecosystem In APAC

Since the Zoom Up Partner Programme was launched in March 2022, over 800 channel partners across APAC have signed up for the programme, comprising of over 25% of Partner Demand Centre adoption globally.

These partners which are focused on helping customers address their communication and collaboration needs yield 35% in channel contribution to the overall Zoom business in APAC.

As of FY23Q3, Zoom has onboarded DMOA as its new distributor in South Korea, adding to Zoom’s extensive APAC partner ecosystem which includes Dicker Data in Australia, Tradewinds in New Zealand, rhipe in Asia, and Savex Technologies in India.

The strength of Zoom’s partner ecosystem has contributed to the resounding success of Zoom Phone, which hit four million seats globally in just 3.5 years.

Building A Platform APAC Users Can Trust

As trust becomes the business currency of the future, Zoom is accelerating efforts to keep security and privacy of its platform at the forefront, and building a platform users can trust.

Amongst the company’s host of updates announced at Zoomtopia APAC 2022, its latest security offerings include:

  • an end-to-end encryption feature (in Beta stage) as part of Zoom Mail Service (also in beta stage),
  • advanced encryption for Zoom Phone voicemail, and
  • the rollout of automatic Zoom client updates for enterprise customers (to help users take advantage of Zoom’s latest features and security updates).

Zoom has also recently completed the Australian Information Security Registered Assessor Program (IRAP) assessment, demonstrating that Zoom’s products are well-positioned when judged against Australian security standards for delivering communications services to the Australian public sector.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Dell 40-Nation Survey : Employees Are Greatest Asset!

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Dell Technologies just conducted a new 40+ country survey to find out things have changed after two years of accelerated digital transformation!

Take a look at their results, and find out why most businesses consider employees as their greatest asset!

 

Dell 40-Nation Survey : Employees Are Greatest Asset!

After two years of accelerated digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% of IT leaders in Malaysia (APJ: 45%; Global: 50%) say their organisations know what it takes to digitally transform a workforce.

But after such rapid change, many employees now face the challenge of maintaining the pace. What’s more, more than two-thirds of the 10,500 respondents believe that their organisations are not able to engage with their employees properly when planning transformation programs.

The results suggest that after 2 years rapid transformation, businesses and their workforce are in need of time to recharge, reflect and refine before embarking on new or iterating projects.

The research also highlights how there is still the danger os digital transformation stalling, as 68% of Malaysian respondents (APJ: 72%; Global: 64%) believe that their employees’ resistance to change can lead to failure.

Over half or 57% of Malaysian respondents (APJ: 62%; Global: 53%)  fear that they will be shut-out of the rapidly-evolving digital world due to a lack of people with the right authority or vision to capitalise on opportunities offered by new technologies, like as-a-Service models.

Most organisations around the world – including Malaysia – realise the need to digitally transform, but they find digital transformation hard, and their people don’t always embrace change.

This human-technology friction is only compounded by the pandemic and what we end up with is businesses that are more digitally resilient, but many of their people are exhausted.

Today, businesses aspiring for sustainable success need to be asking themselves how they can thoughtfully and purposefully help their people navigate further change.

– Mak Chin Wah, country manager, Malaysia and general manager, Telecom Systems Business, South Asia, Dell Technologies.

 

Dell 40-Nation Survey : Readiness For Digital Change

Dell and independent behavioural experts also studied survey respondents’ appetite for digital change, and they found that only 8% of the Malaysian workforce – from senior business leaders to IT decision-makers and staff – are pursuing modernisation projects (APJ: 7%; Global: 10%).

Furthermore, 40% of Malaysian respondents are slow or reluctant to embrace change (APJ: 46%; Global: 42%).

Breakthrough Benchmark Malaysia APJ Global
Sprint: Will chase innovation and
trailblaze technological change.		 8% 7% 10%
Steady: Poised to adopt technological
change, selected by others.		 50% 41% 43%
Slow: Inclined to hold back and
observe / deliberate.		 40% 46% 42%
Still: Tend to anticipate problems and
resist proposed technology innovations
based on perceived risk.		 4% 6% 5%

 

Dell 40-Nation Survey : The Way Forward

The Dell study also charts a way forward for businesses to focus on keeping pace with digital transformation:

1. Connectivity

Businesses performed tremendous feats to connect, collaborate, and conduct business online during the pandemic, but the job is not done.

Around 76% of Malaysian respondents say they need their organisations to provide the necessary tools and infrastructure to work anywhere (along with the autonomy to choose their preferred working pattern) (APJ: 78%; Global: 72%).

In fact, they worry their employees might be left behind because they do not have the right technology to shift to a highly distributed model (where work and compute are not tied to a central place, but occur everywhere).

Technology alone is not enough. Businesses also need to make work equitable for employees with different needs, interests, and responsibilities, including the 82% Malaysian employees (APJ: 78; Global: 76%) that would like their organisation to do any of the following:

  • Clearly define their ongoing commitment to flexible work arrangements and the practicalities of making it work – Malaysia: 54% (APJ: 46%; Global: 40%)
  • Equip leaders to effectively and equitably manage remote teams – Malaysia: 41% (APJ: 42%; Global: 42%)
  • Empower employees to choose their preferred working pattern and provide the necessary tools / infrastructure – Malaysia: 49% (APJ: 47%; Global: 44%)

Read more : Dell Commissions Largest Solar Panel Globally In Malaysia!

2. Productivity

Every employee’s time is limited and there are now too few qualified candidates for open roles. To address these limitations, businesses can delegate repetitive tasks to automated processes and free-up employees to focus on higher-value work.

At present, 19% of Malaysian respondents say that their work is stimulating and not repetitive (APJ: 32%; Global: 37%). With the opportunity to automate more repetitive tasks, 81% of Malaysian respondents would look forward to learning new, sought-after skills and technologies, like leadership skills, courses in machine learning, or focusing on more strategic opportunities to elevate their role (APJ: 74%; Global; 69%).

However, businesses with limited budgets are concerned they will not be able to advance their workforce and compete.

3. Empathy

At their heart, businesses must build a culture, modelled by empathetic leaders, that treats people as their greatest source of creativity and value.

The research shows there is still work to do and empathy has to inform decision making – from simplifying technology for approximately half (Malaysia: 51%; APJ: 52%; Global: 49%) who often feel overwhelmed by complex technologies, to tailoring change programs to individuals’ skills (Malaysia: 54%; APJ: 50%; Global: 41%;) of employees believe their leaders do this).

Read more : Dell Survey On Remote Work Readiness In Malaysia!

 

Dell 40-Nation Survey : A Quick Primer

To find out how things have changed after two years of accelerated digital transformation, Dell Technologies conducted a survey across 40+ countries from all regions of the world, from August to October 2021.

Fieldwork was conducted by Vanson Bourne, and involved 10,500 senior business decision-makers, IT decision-makers and knowledge workers (employees involved in digital transformation).

In Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ), 2,900 respondents across 11 locations were surveyed. The APJ locations include Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Malaysia, 200 number of respondents were surveyed.

On 22 September 2022, Dell Technologies presented their key findings at the Dell Technologies Forum 2022, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Did More Die From Vaccine Than Virus In Taiwan?!

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Did more people die from the vaccine than the COVID-19 virus in Taiwan?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : More People Died From Vaccine Than Virus In Taiwan!

People are sharing an NTD News video which claims that more people died from the vaccine, than the COVID-19 virus in Taiwan!

Here is a transcript of what the NTD News newscaster said in the segment called China In Focus.

In Taiwan, the number of people dying after their COVID vaccination is exceeding the number of deaths from the virus itself.

Taiwan’s health authorities said that as of Monday, deaths after vaccination reached 865 while deaths from the virus are at 845.

Vaccines currently offered in Taiwan include AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Taiwan’s own vaccine – Medigen. Out of the 865 deaths after vaccination, over 600 were from AstraZeneca, and nearly 200 deaths after a Moderna shot.

 

Truth : More People Did NOT Die From Vaccine Than Virus In Taiwan!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by anti-vaccination activists to scare people from protecting themselves against COVID-19, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Was From October 2021

The viral video is really old, being originally released by US-based NTD News on October 21, 2021.

Fact #2 : Taiwan Had Few COVID-19 Cases In 2021

Taiwan effectively blocked the spread of COVID-19 cases in 2021 through lockdowns, travel bans, and quarantine measures.

Hence, they had relatively few cases, and very few deaths back in October 2021 when the viral video was first broadcast.

Taiwan experienced a massive surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths that started in May 2022 and has not yet ceased in August 2022. So far, over 9400 people have died from COVID-19 in Taiwan.

Fact #3 : Vaccine “Death” Data Was From VAERS

The vaccine death data quoted in the NTD News video was taken from the Taiwanese VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Notification System), which is based on the US VAERS.

Just like US VAERS and the UK Yellow Card system, Taiwan VAERS reports have not yet been verified, and cannot be taken at face value.

Anyone who even bothers to read the highlighted WARNINGS on such pharmacovigilance platforms would have understood that their data and reports cannot be considered evidence of any kind, because:

  • they may contain duplicated information and/or reports
  • the reported event may be caused by an illness, like a COVID-19 infection for example,
  • the reported event may be caused by a different drug taken by the patient at the same time
  • they have not been assessed by health authorities to ascertain if it’s even “biologically plausible”

All reports of post-vaccination deaths or injuries reported in such pharmacovigilance systems have to be investigated and verified.

Fact #4 : No Evidence Of 865 Deaths Caused By Vaccine

To be clear – there is currently no evidence that the 865 deaths in the Taiwanese VAERS report were caused by COVID-19 vaccines.

Healthcare professionals in Taiwan are obligated to report deaths within 28 days of receiving a vaccine dose, even if they are not related to the vaccine.

Making an adverse reaction report is no different from making a police report. If you make a police report, it is registered in the system. However, that doesn’t mean a crime was actually committed. The police will have to investigate and determine if you were lying / mistaken, or there was indeed a crime.

Similarly, these adverse reaction reports are just reports. They must first be investigated, in order to determine if they are really side effects of the vaccine, or completely unrelated.

Read more : Here’s How Antivaxxers Create Fake News Using VAERS!

Fact #5 : COVID-19 Deaths 6X Higher Than Post-Vaccine Deaths

Even if we accept unverified VAERS data at full face value, the number of reported deaths post-vaccination are far fewer than deaths from COVID-19.

Here are the latest statistics from Taiwan’s VAERS, as of August 11, 2022 :

  • 57,779,983 vaccine doses were administered
  • 1,541 deaths were reported within 28 days of receiving a vaccine dose
  • 9,342 deaths from COVID-19 infections were reported

Even the unverified VAERS data shows that the risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection is 6X more than the risk of dying from ANY particular cause after getting a vaccine dose.

Fact #6 : Vaccine Deaths Are Rare

Taiwan has a separate body – the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which  investigates and determines if any specific post-vaccination death or injury is directly related to a COVID-19 vaccine.

While the VICP does not reveal the exact number of cases, news reports show that there are about only a dozen or so cases of deaths in Taiwan directly attributed to a COVID-19 vaccine.

Even to date, there is simply no evidence that there are over 800 deaths that have been attributed to the COVID-19 vaccines in Taiwan.

Fact #7 : Vaccine Deaths In Taiwan Are Compensated

The VICP not only investigates and certifies that any deaths are caused by the vaccine, it also awards compensation to the families. For example :

  • In June 2022, it awarded the T$3.5 million (about US$116,673) to the family of a woman who died from a stroke (intracerebral haemorrhage) after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine,
  • In May 2022, it awarded the maximum T$6 million (about US$200,000) to the family of a woman who died from VITT after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This puts paid to the claim that people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine are not compensated for any death or injury that may occur.

Read more : Did Four Doctors Die Right After 4th Vaccine Dose?!

Fact #8 : Anti-Vaccine Claims All Proven False

This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists twisting the facts to deceive you into believing that vaccines are dangerous.

So far, their COVID-19 vaccine claims have proven to be false… at every instance!

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

And please protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Zoom Ramps Up APAC Team For Era Of Flexibility!

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Zoom just announced that they ramped up their APAC team to meet demands for what they call the Era of Flexibility!

 

Zoom On The Era Of Flexibility In APAC!

On 26 April 2022, Zoom Video Communications, Inc (NASDAQ: ZM) announced that they just ramped up their senior leadership team for APAC, as well as key business momentum updates for the Asia Pacific region.

This announcement comes as APAC undergoes a critical transformation into a hybrid future, driving demand for secure, seamless, and connected experiences across virtual and physical channels. This is accompanied by an explosion of digital-native organisations born in the digital age and in the cloud, underpinned by the rise of a generation who has grown up in the presence of modern information technology.

Zoom believes that their capabilities across meetings, chat, phone, rooms, events and contact centre – all within a video-first paradigm – will help to address these evolving needs and provide a unified platform experience.

While customers desire hyper-personalisation and total convenience across virtual and physical touchpoints, the integration of video capabilities via the Zoom platform has allowed a range of organisations, spanning a variety of sectors including healthcare, education, and financial institutions, to reimagine the customer journey.

To meet employee demand for greater flexibility and freedom of choice, Zoom will also enable the ‘work-from-anywhere’ workforce, providing the technology required for enhanced collaboration, productivity, and inclusivity in hybrid teams.

 

Zoom Ramps Up APAC Team For Era Of Flexibility!

To keep up with demand of what they called the Era of Flexibility, Zoom announced several new additions to their senior leadership team in key APAC markets :

  • Lucas Lu, Head of Asia (ASEAN, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan). Lu joins Sameer Raje, General Manager and Head, India and SAARC, and Michael Chetner, Head of ANZ to drive business traction in the respective territories within APAC. Lu is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, serving multiple leadership roles in global organisations across the technology, oil and gas and telecommunications sectors.
  • Cathy Yum, Head of Marketing, APAC, brings two decades of experience in building high-performing teams and delivering business goals and objectives for some of the world’s biggest technology giants. Yum plays a pivotal role in driving Zoom’s go-to-market strategies.
  • Gina Kuek, APAC Leader, People Experience Business Partner, comes with a wealth of experience in developing people and creating positive workplace cultures, and will champion Zoom’s culture of care as it expands across Asia.
  • Jacob Pereira, Head of Partners, APAC, is responsible for Zoom’s partner ecosystem and overall channel growth in the region. He has served in senior leadership positions in high performing technology companies.
  • Raj Natarajan, Head of Customer Success, APAC, comes with a proven track record of driving innovation and transforming business outcomes with some of the world’s most successful brands. In his current role, Natarajan oversees Zoom’s customer success initiatives in the region with a strong team of Customer Success Managers.

Zoom is also accelerating the region’s innovation and helping organisations create and grow their businesses on the Zoom platform. In APAC, these organisations include Australian retail platform Brauz; Vietnam’s business communication platform GapoWork; Singapore-headquartered ed-tech platform LingoAce; and Indonesia’s largest cellular operator Telkomsel.

Through the Zoom Developer Platform, developers, platform integrators, service providers, and customers are able to easily build apps and integrations, or integrate Zoom’s core technology into their products and services to deliver enriched video experiences to their end users.

Beyond its core video communications offering of Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars, Zoom has seen strong demand in the region for products like Zoom Rooms, Zoom Phone, and Zoom Events. In FY22Q4, Zoom closed its largest Zoom Rooms deal in APAC with a customer deploying more than 3,300 Zoom Rooms to drive hybrid work across their offices.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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The Asia Pacific Predator League 2020 Details Revealed!

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eSports enthusiasts, heads-up! Acer just announced the full details of the Asia Pacific Predator League 2020!

Here is everything you need to know about the APAC Predator League 2020, including its prize pool of US$ 400,000!

 

The Asia Pacific Predator League 2020

Predator League is the largest brand-initiated tournament in the Asia Pacific region, with over 3500 teams participating in the 2019 edition that culminated in the Grand Finals in Thailand.

With a new prize pool of USD 400,000, the Asia Pacific League 2020 will be held in Manila on 22 – 23 February 2020 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City.

In the run-up to the grand showdown in Manila, 17 participating countries have opened registrations for local qualifying competitions for both PUBG and Dota 2 in October with local prizes.

If you believe you have what it takes to be the Malaysian champion, and win a big chunk of the RM 100,000 prize pool, you can register here.

 

Asia Pacific Predator League 2020 Qualifying Details

Dota 2

There will be two online qualifying stages, as well as four on-ground qualifying stages, held at :

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  • Mineski Infinity Kuala Lumpur
  • Mineski Esport Arena Selangor
  • Eternity Esport Penang
  • Gizmo Arena Sarawak

The qualifying teams will meet for the Malaysian Grand Finals at Level Up KL, in KLCC on 9-10 November 2019 in Malaysia.

PUBG

There will be four online qualifying stages, with the top four teams of each qualifying stage scheduled to face each other at the Malaysian Grand Finals on 7-8 December 2019 at Battle Arena, Jaya Shopping Centre, in the most extreme matches of FPP on Erangel and Miramar.

The Prize Pool

The prize pool breakdown is RM50,000 cash for DOTA2 and RM24,000 cash for PUBG, and another RM26,000 worth of prizes.

The Malaysian leg champions will also be heading to Manila in February 2020 to duke it out for the coveted championship.

 

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Microsoft : Digital Transformation Will Boost APAC Retail By $272 Billion!

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A new Microsoft study predicts that the APAC retail industry is expected to add $272 billion to the region’s GDP by 2021. The caveat – retail organisations need to embrace digital transformation initiatives.

Digital Transformation Will Boost APAC Retail By $272 Billion!

The new Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific study by Microsoft predicts that the APAC retail industry is expected to add $272 billion or 1.5% CAGR to the region’s GDP by 2021, should retail organisations embrace digital transformation initiatives.

The study, which polled 240 business leaders in the APAC retail industry, found that half the respondents will focus on digitally-transforming customer service and support.

Respondents will also focus on digitally-transforming sales and IT operations in 2019.

Capitalising on customer data, organisations can accelerate their digital transformation journey via a three-step process:

  1. Collection of data to improve decision-making processes
    Retail organizations need to have a data strategy in place in order to manage the streams of data available.
    By doing so, and applying big data analytics, they will be able to develop real-time insights that can deliver personalized experiences while simplifying the decision-making process for employees.
  2. Optimizing existing products and services with data
    Data can be used as an asset to optimize existing processes and for developing predictive analytics to improve delivery of services and products across channels.
    Retailers can also tap on artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalized experiences, while reducing time spent on menial work.
  3. Creating new business models with data
    Data can also be used to develop new products, services and experiences, as well as new business models, like the new Kroger-Microsoft RaaS product.

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Microsoft Imagine Cup 2018 APAC Winner : Team PINE!

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5 April 2018 – Microsoft today crowned Team PINE from Malaysia as the winner of the Imagine Cup 2018 Asia Pacific Regional Finals, after a nail-biting finale against 14 other teams from across the region. Six other teams were also selected to continue their journey at the Imagine Cup 2018 World Finals which will be held in Seattle in July.

 

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2018 APAC Winner : Team PINE!

Team PINE developed a handheld sensing device that can help pineapple farmers efficiently and effectively evaluate optimal levels of ripeness prior to harvest, and in a non-intrusive manner.

According to Tan Yit Peng, a member of Team Pine, “Pineapples are the second most exported tropical fruit in Malaysia. Currently, a conventional method is used to determine the quality of a pineapple (Brix value) and this is done intrusively using a refractometer which leads to a lot of wastage. Our device will allow farmers to check the internal quality of the pineapples in order to ensure that the quality is optimum before harvest. It is a quick and easy solution that these farmers can use.”

When asked about the team’s feelings about being crowned the champions, she had this to say,” We are overjoyed about winning the regional finals and we look forward to waving the Malaysian flag proudly during the finals in Seattle!”

Congratulating the team, K Raman, Managing Director, Microsoft Malaysia said, “We are delighted that Malaysia has bagged the top spot in the regional finals of this prestigious Imagine Cup. It gives us immense pride and joy to see them take our flag to the global finals. With Imagine Cup, we continue to build on our goal to empower students and prepare the future workforce. To the fifteen teams from across Asia Pacific that gathered for the competition, I hope you feel proud of what you have accomplished thus far. Simply being here is deserving of congratulations.”

The first runner-up and second runner-up places were awarded to Team BeeConnex from Thailand, and Team 7x from Singapore, respectively.

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Team BeeConnex from Thailand came up with the Smart Hive; an IoT device that enables beekeepers to track and monitor the health of a beehive. The device is also able to alert beekeepers when potential issues are detected within the hive.

Singapore’s Team 7x created ProCubeX, an interactive smart-learning cube designed as an early intervention tool for children with dyslexia. The cube will intelligently generate an individualized education plan for dyslexic children, triggering multisensory stimulation as well as the parts of the brain responsible for language learning.

In all, seven teams from the Imagine Cup APAC Regional Finals were selected to continue their innovation journey to the next level at the Imagine Cup World Finals. The seven teams are:

Team Name Market Prize
Team PINE Malaysia Champion
Team BeeConnex Thailand 1st Runner-Up
Team 7x Singapore 2nd Runner-Up
Team Beehive Drone Indonesia *Worldwide Finalist
Team Classum Korea *Worldwide Finalist
Team En#22.45km Korea *Worldwide Finalist
Team SochWare Nepal *Worldwide Finalist

* In no particular order of merit

The student teams will take their innovation journey to the next level at the Imagine Cup 2018 World Finals. Held in Seattle this July, the World Finals will gather more than 50 student teams from all over the world, all vying for the top prize of up to US$100,000, mentorship opportunities with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, as well as Azure grants and credits to bring their winning solution to the market.

The 15 finalist teams which participated in the regional finals came from nine countries, including Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. These teams were selected from local finals that were held in each country earlier this year.

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Microsoft : Digital Transformation to Contribute US$10 Billion to GDP by 2021

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KUALA LUMPUR, 6 FEBRUARY – By 2021, digital transformation will add an estimated US$10 billion to Malaysia’s GDP, and increase the growth rate by 0.6% annually, according to a new business study. The research, Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific, was produced by Microsoft in partnership with IDC Asia/Pacific.

 

Digital Transformation to Contribute US$10 Billion to GDP by 2021

The study predicts a dramatic acceleration in the pace of digital transformation across Asia’s economies. In 2017, about 7% of Malaysia’s GDP was derived from digital products and services created directly through the use of digital technologies, such as mobility, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Malaysia is clearly on the digital transformation fast track. Within the next four years, we expect to see approximately 45% of Malaysia’s GDP to be derived from digital products and services,” said K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia. “At the same time, organizations in Asia Pacific are increasingly deploying emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence as part of their digital transformation initiatives, and that will accelerate growth even further.”

The survey conducted with 1,560 business decision makers in mid and large-sized organizations across 15 economies in the region highlights the rapid impact and widespread disruption that digital transformation is having on traditional business models.

According to the research findings, business leaders expect to see more than 20% improvements in those key areas by 2020, with the biggest jump expected in customer advocacy.

Digital Leaders in Asia Pacific to Gain Lion’s Share of Economic Opportunities

The study indicates that while 85% of organizations in Malaysia are in the midst of their digital transformation journey, only 7% in the entire region can be classified as Leaders. These are organizations that have full or progressing digital transformation strategies, with at least a third of their revenue derived from digital products and services. In addition, these companies are seeing between 20 – 30% improvements in benefits across various business areas from their initiatives.

The study indicates that Leaders experience double the benefits of Followers, and these improvements will be more pronounced by 2020. Almost half of Leaders (48%) have a full digital transformation strategy in place.

“The pace of digital transformation is accelerating, and IDC expects that by 2021, at least 48% of Southeast Asia’s GDP will be derived from digital products and services, with growth in every industry driven by digitally enhanced offerings, operations and relationships. The study shows Leaders seeing double the benefits of Followers, with improvements in productivity, cost reductions, and customer advocacy. To remain competitive, organizations must establish new metrics, realign organization structures, and re-architect their technology platform,” said Daniel-Zoe Jimenez, Research Director Digital Transformation Practice Lead, IDC Asia/Pacific.

The Study identified key differences between Leaders and Followers in Asia Pacific, which contribute to the improvements tracked:

  • Leaders are more concerned about competitors and emergence of disruptive technologies: The digital economy has also given rise to new types of competitors, as well as emerging technologies such as AI that have contributed to the disruption of business models.
  • Business agility and culture of innovation are key goals: When addressing business concerns, Leaders are focused on creating a culture of agility and innovation to counter competition. Followers, on the other hand, are more focused on improving employee productivity and profitability.
  • Measuring digital transformation successes: Organizations across Asia Pacific are starting to adopt new key performance indicators (KPI) to better measure their digital transformation initiatives, such as effectiveness of processes, data as a capital, and customer advocacy in the form of Net Promoter Score (NPS). As organizations realize the potential of data as the new oil for the digital economy, Leaders are much more focused on leveraging data to grow revenue and productivity, and to transform business models.
  • Leaders are more aware of challenges in their digital transformation journeys: In addition to skills and cybersecurity threats as key challenges, Leaders have also identified the need to bolster their data capabilities through the use of advanced analytics to develop actionable insights in fast-moving markets.
  • Leaders are looking to invest in AI and Internet of Things: Emerging technologies such as AI (including cognitive services and robotics) and IoT are areas where Leaders are investing in for 2018. Besides these emerging technologies, Leaders are also more interested in investing in big data analytics to mine data for actionable insights than others.

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Digital Transformation in Malaysia Will Ultimately Benefit Citizens

According to the business leaders surveyed, digital transformation will bring about these top benefits to society:

  1. Potential increment to personal income through freelance and digital work
  2. Creation of more higher value jobs
  3. Increased educational and training opportunities
  4. Smarter, safer and more efficient cities

Respondents in Malaysia felt that 96% of jobs will be transformed in the next three years due to digital transformation, and more than half of the jobs in the market today will be redeployed to higher value roles or reskilled to meet the needs of the digital age.

“The rise of digital transformation in Asia Pacific economies will affect the labour market where many types of jobs will evolve and change. What is encouraging is that 76% of the study’s respondents are confident that their young professionals already have future-ready skills that will help them transition to new roles. Governments and organizations should still focus on reskilling and upskilling, because continuous learning will be important in ensuring a successful workforce transformation for the digital age,” said K Raman.

In Malaysia, Microsoft has been empowering the digital transformation journey of the nation by providing cutting-edge technology to many leading organisations including primary healthcare provider, BP Healthcare. Doctor2U, its on-demand healthcare app which is built on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Bot Framework, aims to create an entire healthcare ecosystem a single platform. The app features Doctor House Call service that brings a doctor to your doorstep within 60 minutes, video call or Live Chat with doctors, pharmacists and nutritionists for free, as well as medication delivery services, teleradiology platform and hospital information system, among others. As a result, Doctor2U has set themselves as a digital transformation leader by empowering clinicians, patients and care teams, effectively reducing delay and waiting time by 54%.

Riding the Wave of Digital Transformation

Organizations in Asia Pacific need to accelerate their digital transformation journey to reap the full benefits of their initiatives, and to address the invisible revolution brought about the mass adoption of AI. More importantly, companies need to focus on capitalizing their own data in order to gain new market insights, create new digital products and services, and monetize data through data sharing securely, and in collaboration with its ecosystem.

Microsoft recommends organizations to adopt the following strategies to become a digital transformation Leader:

  1. Create a digital culture: An organization need to build a culture of collaboration where it is connected across business functions, and has a vibrant and mature ecosystem of customers and partners. Data can then be embraced across organization and functions, where better decisions can be made and ultimately serving the needs of customers and partners better.
  2. Build an information ecosystem: In a digital world, organizations are capture more volumes of data internally and externally. The key to becoming a Leader is for organizations to be able to convert data into capital assets, and enable data sharing and collaboration internally and externally in an open yet trusted manner. In addition, a proper data strategy will allow businesses to start their AI initiatives to identify connections, insights and trends.
  3. Embrace micro-revolutions: In most cases, digital transformation efforts do not start with widespread change, but a series of micro-revolutions. These are small, quick projects that deliver positive business outcomes and accrue to a bigger and bolder digital transformation initiatives.
  4. Develop Future Ready Skills for Individuals and Organizations: Organizations today must relook at training and reskilling its workforce so that workers are equipped with future ready skill sets such as complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity for the digital economy. More importantly, they need to rebalance the workforce to attain and attract key digital talents, as well as be open in creating a flexible work source model where they tap into skills-based marketplace. From a digital skills perspective, LinkedIn’s latest study outlines the ABCs of digital talents required for future economies in the region – artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing. In Malaysia, the top in-demand skills are big data, software and user testing and mobile development.

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Microsoft SIR : APAC Vulnerable To Malware In 2017

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7 February 2017 – Microsoft today marked “Safer Internet Day” with regional findings from the Microsoft SIR (Security Intelligence Report), Volume 21, a twice yearly report that provides unique insights into the threat landscape to help organizations learn about trend data in industry vulnerabilities, exploits, malware and web-based attacks.

The Microsoft SIR report, released in December last year, identified Asia Pacific markets, especially the emerging ones, as among those at the highest risk of cybersecurity threats. Three out of the top five global spots for rate of malware encounters in the region. Malaysia placed 11th amongst the top markets in Asia Pacific under malware threats. Furthermore, Malaysia reported a malware encounter rate of more than 27.6%, compared to the worldwide encounter rate of 20.8 percent during the same period.

Two of the top five locations across the globe most at risk of infection included neighbouring countries Vietnam and Indonesia. Other top markets under malware threats include large developing markets and Southeast Asia countries – Mongolia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and India – each with encounter rates of more than 30 percent.

However, markets in the region with higher levels of IT maturity such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore have displayed malware encounter rates that are below the worldwide average, highlighting the diverse cybersecurity landscape in the Asia Pacific.

Top Markets in the Asia Pacific under Malware Threats in the Microsoft SIR :

  1. Mongolia
  2. Vietnam
  3. PakistanIndonesia
  4. Nepal and Bangladesh
  5. Cambodia
  6. Philippines
  7. Thailand
  8. India
  9. Sri Lanka
  10. Malaysia
  11. Taiwan
  12. China
  13. Singapore
  14. Hong Kong
  15. South Korea
  16. Australia
  17. New Zealand
  18. Japan

 

Top Encountered Malware in Asia Pacific

The Microsoft SIR report showed that the top most encountered malicious software families in Malaysia include:

  • Gamarue, a worm which can give a malicious hacker control of your PC, steal information and change PC security settings;
  • Lodbak, a trojan that is usually installed on removable drives by Gamarue, and which attempts to install Gamarue when the infected removable drive is connected to a computer; and Peals is a generic detection for various threats that display trojan characteristics.

In particular, Gamarue, the most commonly encountered non-generic threat was encountered by 3.3 percent of computers. This worm is commonly distributed via exploit kits and social engineering and can also be attached to spam mails.
Gamarue’s variants, can give a malicious hacker control of the infected computers and have been observed stealing information from the devices and communicating with command-and-control (C&C) servers managed by attackers. Gamarue also makes unwanted and malicious changes to the local computer’s security settings.

Jasmine Begum, Director, Corporate External & Legal Affairs (CELA), Microsoft Malaysia said, “With increasing malware encounters and sophistication of cyberattacks, cybersecurity is becoming a mission critical priority for most organizations. It generally takes an average up to 200 days for organizations to find out that they have been breached. With no sign of abatement in the future, what companies need is a Secure Modern Enterprise posture, which involves well-integrated “Protect-Detect-Respond” investments and capabilities, with a strategic focus on the core pillars – Identity, Apps, Data, Infrastructure and Devices. Additionally, organizations should also strongly consider adopting trusted cloud-based services to enjoy the highest levels of data protection, leveraging the cloud provider’s enterprise-grade security and privacy expertise, assurances and certifications.”

Security teams should also keep abreast of changes in the threat landscape brought about by emergence of cloud computing. The latest report contains an expanded Featured Intelligence section that includes a deep dive section on Protecting cloud infrastructure: detecting and mitigating threats using Azure Security Center. This section details new threats that organizations may encounter and explains how they can use Azure Security Center to protect, detect, and respond to security threats against Azure cloud-based resources.

Some of the new cloud-targeted threats outlined in the Microsoft SIR are:

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  • Pivot back attacks, which occurs when an attacker compromises a public cloud resource to obtain information that they then use to attack the resource provider’s on-premises environment
  • “Man in the Cloud” attacks, in which an attacker induces a prospective victim to install a piece of malware using a typical mechanism, such as an email with a link to a malicious website. It then switches out the user’s cloud storage synchronization token with the attacker’s token, allowing the attacker to receive copies of each file the user places in cloud storage. This effectively makes the attacker a “man in the middle” for cloud storage.
  • Side-channel attacks, where an attacker attempts to put a virtual machine on the same physical server as the intended victim. If he succeeds, the attacker will be able to launch local attacks against the victim. These attacks might include local DDoS, network sniffing, and man-in-the-middle attacks, all of which can be used to extract information.
  • Resource ransom, where attackers hold cloud resource hostage by breaking into and controlling public cloud account, and then requiring the victim to pay a ransom to release encrypted or restricted resources.

Organizations need to ensure they have a robust cybersecurity posture to withstand and respond effectively to most cyberattacks and malware infections.

Five best practices for improving defence against cybersecurity threats are:

  • Ensure strong fundamentals: Use only genuine, current and updated software. The usage of IT assets which are old, unprotected, or are non-genuine in nature, substantially increase the chances for a cyberattack. For example, pirated and counterfeit software are known to come with embedded malware infections.
  • Focus on cyber hygiene: Poor cyber hygiene of IT users, negligent employee behaviour or weak credentials/password protection within an organization, adds a high degree of vulnerability for system compromise. With more and more personal devices being used at the workplace, the higher the chance they are infected.
  • Have a data culture: Develop a big data analytics culture involving data classification, multifactor authentication, encryption, rights management, machine learning for behavioural analytics and log analytics to spot user anomalies and irregular or suspicious patterns, which could provide potential clues in advance to prevent impending or ongoing security breaches.
  • Invest in a robust cyber defence ecosystem and monitor all systems in real time: Invest in trusted security solutions and modern threat protection technologies to monitor, detect and remove common and advanced cyber threats in real time, while developing in-house expertise to undertake threat analytics.
  • Regular assessment, review and audit: Be comprehensive on all aspects of cybersecurity, not just technology. Have a IT trusted supply chain across cloud, software, hardware, Internet of Things, BYOD (bring your own device) and regularly review and assess cybersecurity investments and performance of both software and hardware deployment, including customer and vendor access to the corporate network.

Resources like the Microsoft SIR (Security Intelligence Report) are just one aspect of the Microsoft comprehensive approach to security – including a holistic platform, unique intelligence and broad partnerships – which is critical to enabling the digital transformation of leading organizations in Asia.

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to building trust in technology in the region, it launched its first combined Transparency Center and Cybersecurity Center in October 2016. Located in Singapore, the joint facility brings together Microsoft capabilities in a single location in Asia Pacific, to serve the security needs of the public and private sector and foster the building of a trusted and secure computing environment.

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